A New Life
by Synweaver
Summary: The war is over. The Reapers are defeated. The planets are rebuilt. As the galaxy adjusts to a new era of peace, their savior finds peace rather difficult to adjust to. He is not alone in that.


AN: So here was an admittedly shoddy idea I had after playing through the Mass Effect series 4 or so times in a row. I am admittedly a Talimancer (who among us hasn't tried it at least once before anyway) and I know what happens if you romance neither her nor Garrus in the series. No I'm not going to say it's terrible that they hook up that's subjective and irrelevant.

So as is naturally the case with these fictions, I wrote my own changes to it. Slight changes though to be fair. In this story, Tali was never romanced in ME2 nor did she hook up with Garrus before the battle for Earth in ME3. In this story, she still holds quite the love for our illustrious Commander, who as you have probably guessed has not handled the whole peace thing well

Our setting is about five or so years after the end of the war. That seemed fair to me. Unified effort and all that. While the other crewmembers of the Normandy and the rest of the galaxy presumably have adjusted to civilian life on their respective homeworlds, Tali has not. Despite having Rannoch soil beneath her feet, she remains desperately hopeful that Shepard will essentially sweep her off her feet and love her like she loves him. Yeaaaah not the best idea but it's subject to change.

Now for personality overviews. I can't claim to have Tali's personality pegged down but I'll certainly try my best at it. In other stories I've read, many have shown Tali as having a selfish streak growing in her due to her relationship with Shepard. Selfish in a good way at least. I like to think that as time has passed, her trait of putting others first takes more and more of a backseat as her love for Shepard and desire to be with him mounts. This in turn creates new elements to her personality. She can be bitter, cynical or jaded at the cruel whims of fate or she can be…hmm…let's call it darkly witty. For example, even when times seemed bleakest, Garrus always managed to find some humor in the situation. The shooting contest on the Citadel for example.

"Figured it might be time to do something stupid just for the hell of it. Might be the last chance we ever get."

She'd be making light of the situation with dark humor. Like saying a dead person doesn't have to worry about stresses now. Fairly dark example but you get my point I hope.

As for the other characters, while they will appear it will not be frequently. It's more a matter of them trying to push Tali and Shepard together than being themselves. They are aware of the candle she holds for him and they're just trying to see their friends happy. Shitty I know but I'm rusty and inexperienced at this. Still, I plan to give them some time in the limelight. However, this is subject to change as the situation warrants it.

As for Shepard, well Shepard is always what we make him/her. I mean granted that's still limited to a good/bad/neutral person in game but that's what fiction is for. So my Shepard is going to be more like me. And if you've read this far, you've probably gotten the idea that I have an unconventional way of thinking.

You're not far off.

Still, 9 times outta 10 I played a Paragon Shepard. My one Renegade playthrough was during ME2. Interesting if nothing else. Anyway, I'll try to incorporate Shepard's Paragon personality and mannerisms along with my own touches of humor and general humanity.

Please provide constructive criticism in your reviews. "Reviews" that ask/demand me to update or rudely inform me that my story doesn't fit their palette can kindly sod off. Now then, let the curtain rise.

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><p>Tikkun's warming rays began their daily rise over Rannoch, stretching over the land and the buildings on it naturally. For many Quarians, it was still hard to believe. They had their world back and they were sure to enjoy every second of it. Well, as well as one can enjoy it without humping the dirt. Yes indeed it's a good day to be a Quarians on Rannoch.<p>

Well, except for Tali'Zorah anyway. Even after everything she and her friends had all fought for, peace still seemed like such a fragile illusion. One need only look upon the Reaper corpse in the distance or the thousands of ones drifting through space to know that such a peace was no such illusion. Granted for those who were in the thickest of it, it's still a fragile illusion. For those people, the peace was unbelievable. For those of the Normandy, the war never truly ended.

For Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya, well peace "sucked" to use the human term. Peace sucked a lot. Because unfortunately for our dear Quarian, peace tended to suck when you had no one to spend it with.

Oh it wasn't like she was completely alone. She's on a planet full of her people for one. As well as the Geth naturally. Yeah the Crucible partially wiped them out but the Quarians are technical geniuses for a reason. The Geth lost their free will software in the Crucible's activation, it being based on Reaper tech after all. However having realized that they were not inherently hostile now, the Quarians brought them back to true AI status.

So naturally, with their free will restored, the Geth freely chose to assist the Quarians in their immune system adaptation and re-colonization of their homeworld.

So yeah, that happened. But back to Tali.

She wasn't lacking for people or friends, she still kept in contact with the Normandy crew and all. She was lacking in the one friend everybody deserves to have.

Figured it out yet? Well I'm impatient so I'll spill it. She's looking for looooooove. Ain't that sweet.

Sadly, in her eyes anyway, she has her heart set out on only one. The one person she was convinced was her other half. Hey you gotta applaud the little lady for knowing what she wants.

Anyway, she knew whom she wanted. Her friends knew whom she wanted. Hell, spend five minutes with her and you'd know whom she wanted.

It was her first friend. The first person to treat her with any dignity and kindness outside of Shala'Raan. The first person to see beyond her mask for the person behind it.

She goes on like this for a couple hours so I'll skip to the end.

Tali'Zorah had fallen hard for her commanding officer and her best friend, Commander John Shepard. That noble, sweet and caring man who shouldered an entire galaxy just to save it three times over. But even for all his accolades, both to the entire galaxy and the ones personal to her, they were never the reasons she truly loved him with all her heart. Try though she might, she never could put it into words why she felt for her captain this way.

No that is not me cutting corners shut up and pay attention.

Alright so she's in love with Shepard. You get the jist of it. So why is she alone then? Why is our gallant hero not her mate this good goddamn second? Well like every good comedy, and story by extension, it needs drama! And what's better than an unknown love?

You guessed it. Shepard doesn't know that Tali loves him. I'm wrote this damn thing and even I think that sucks. You might think it would be a simple matter of calling the stupid git and letting him know right? Well like all matters of the heart, nothing is ever simple.

Remember how I said that if you spend 5 minutes with her you'd know who she was madly in love with? Well you'd also know that she is veeeeeeery afraid and nervous of his reaction to said love. The poor kid can't go 5 seconds without twiddling her fingers together if you even hint at Shepard in conversation.

But what about all those friends she has? Surely they would try something to push those two together right? Well yes they have and really they would have succeeded were it not for one irritating problem. Shepard, like most human males when it comes to the affections of a woman, is one dense idiot.

Hey I'm a guy as well and I still wrote that. If you don't find it true, then at least find it funny.

Right so Shepard is dense. All his and Tali's friends have tried their damnedest to get him to realize she loves him and her to admit that she loves him. They really did have some good ideas actually.

Garrus, despite being romantically stunted somewhat, tried the classic tactic. Lock them in a room and hope for the best. Under normal circumstances, this would have worked.

But nothing's really normal in the lives of the Normandy crew.

For one, they weren't locked in a clean room, which would have made the passionate tryst Garrus was sure they would have rather impossible. Unfortunately for Tali, her Quarian immune system was still shit. Plus there was the fact that apparently some Blood Pack Vorcha with more balls than brains decided that it would be a marvelous idea to attack Shepard and Tali while they were locked up.

And of course, Garrus would be listening to music at a high volume to drown out the, what he presumed was, sounds of his two best friends shagging each other on every surface they could. By the time he realized that it sounded more like gunfire, Shepard and Tali's days had been thoroughly spoiled. Injury-free but still spoiled.

Despite the Turian's numerous apologies, no blame was placed on him by Shepard who, oddly enough, seemed to enjoy himself. Tali on the other hand, well it's safe to say that Garrus' worst fear is now his Quarian friend with a shotgun in hand and pissed as all hell.

Surprisingly, next up was Wrex who tried a Krogan tactic. For the Krogan, it was always a demonstration of force and skill that won over the hearts of Krogan females. But Tali was no Krogan and she didn't really have anyone she needed fought. In Shepard's eyes however, he did see something he could do that would display skill at least.

He built her a goddamn house that sweet asshole.

Okay granted it wasn't on his own. Their friends helped, as did the Geth. But still! Unfortunately, all it did was make Tali even more in love with Shepard and he still didn't see it. Wrex on the other hand, well he found it difficult to argue when a soldier like Shepard managed to design and help build Tali's house as anything other than a display of skill.

So as a result, building a house on Tuchanka is now considered an appropriate display of skill. Surprisingly many Krogan took to using this as an alternative to violence. A turn of events that to this day, still makes Wrex smile with pride and he recalls what Shepard told him when he found out.

"First I save you, then I save the data that saved Bakara, then I save your entire race and now I've provided a new way for Krogans to get a female. Do you do anything for your people Wrex or is it all just me?"

It still brings a long hard laugh out of the old Krogan leader.

Dr. T'soni was next in line. As the Asari have been at the love game for thousands of years as those annoying rumours would have you believe, one would presume that she would have the best chance at bringing her friends together. One would presume correctly in fact. Her time as a ruthless information broker and later the Shadow Broker herself had not removed her capacity to have feelings dammit. So she used a classic method as well, just like Garrus. And just like Garrus, it went wrong fast.

She thought the method of getting Shepard jealous would work wonders and her two friends could be happy together. Well unfortunately, despite working together to defeat the Reapers, the galaxy still possessed some ignorant bigots. And when more bar patrons spent their time insulting Tali than hitting on her, the poor girl spent her evening crying in a corner until Shepard practically bolted over to her and simply held her close. So getting people to hit on Tali was a bust and Liara seriously doubted Tali would go through all that again just to snuggle into Shepard's chest for one evening. She resorted to Plan B instead, which was getting Tali jealous of attention Shepard was receiving.

Honestly how was she to know Tali would react that violently? It took the might of Wrex, Grunt, Zaeed and James just to push her out of the bar. Well at least nobody got hurt…that was outside of the bar anyway. So getting her jealous was a really bad idea. Lesson learned and fervently remembered.

Am I going to go through everyone's plans? Well some I can generalize. For Jack, Zaeed and Grunt, they all involved excessive violence. Jack also suggested just pouncing on him, which left Tali with red cheeks for a week as the thoughts grew and grew in number. Jacob and Brynn tried a double date but that also went poorly when the restaurant's supply of dextro food spoiled. Miranda and Orianna tried fashionable and seductive apparel but that fell through when Tali pointed out that she was still stuck in her suit. Kasumi actually wrote it down and planned to just shove it into Shepard's face but apparently their Commander wasn't versed in the Japanese language. At least the written kind anyway. It was not considered worth keeping in the galactic language translation software and tutorials for the language had not been in production for a very long time. Even for Kasumi, a copy was hard to find let alone "borrow."

Samara, having been somewhat out of touch on romantic matters, suggested simply spending time with him as a friend and seeing what happened. True to form, they spent a lot of time together on the Citadel simply being friends. Only on the night Tali had worked up the courage to tell him, his Specter duties had dragged him away. Cortez and Traynor tried applying what they liked to the situation with mixed results. Cortez gave them a nice tour of the Silversun Strip in the Kodiak like he did for Shepard. He even turned off the inertia dampeners for the full experience. Of course, if one turn happened to slide the two a little closer in the process well he wasn't going to complain. It had worked for a good while, Tali even got into Shepard's lap at one point. Then she was immediately out of it as the nausea started to kick in. Tali was not a happy Quarian as she was puking up her lunch while a naturally upset Cortez had stood nearby apologizing profusely.

Traynor suggested chess, and it also worked quite well. The two bonded over a new game that wasn't Skyllian-Five Poker. Tali took a greater appreciation for it however, being able to beat Shepard at it despite his military experience. Joker and EDI suggested a movie, which indeed brought them closer. However, it was more in the sense that they were rolling all over each other in laughter at the absurdity of the movie they had picked. Javik even tried, for what little good it did. The art of subtlety has escaped our Prothean friend and so when he tried to bluntly point it out it only caused almost everyone in the room to try and shut him up. Shepard excluded, who simply looked very confused when an equally confused Javik replied that he had been mistaken and apologized. Which didn't help Shepard's confusion at all. James, despite his flirtatious ways, came up short in the idea department. He wished Sparks good luck in the end at least.

Perhaps the one attempt that everyone thought was guaranteed to work was Ashley's attempt. When it doubt, drink it out! So after having fully stocked the Normandy's bar with a matric buttload of booze, she called for a night of "soon to be forgotten bliss" as she called it. She of course had secret plans with this party. The true plan was to get Tali and Shepard drunk enough for the confession to come forth. She would record it and happily play it to them so that they could just hurry up and kiss already.

It was working at the start, Tali kept Shepard's attention during the first couple hours as they had drink after drink.

Unfortunately, someone else would end up stealing the spotlight. It seemed that James had thought it would be a terrific idea to get into a drinking contest with Cortez and Joker, which naturally drew the attention of everyone as they pounded back beer after beer after beer. When they gracefully passed out on the floor, six freaking hours had passed and the night was over. Ashley's plan had bust and James Vega went right to the top of her shit list.

So every one of their friends had tried and failed. Some miserably, some spectacularly, and some in funny ways. Ultimately, they were having a harder time than they thought to get their two friends to be together already.

But this you've already figured out. Still, one would think they could just ask Shepard how he feels right? Well, as that wonderful phrase goes…

You can take the soldier out of the fight, but you can't take the fight out of the soldier.

For Commander Shepard, the Hero of the Citadel, Conqueror of the Collectors, Bane of the Reapers and Savior of the Galaxy, peace was impossible to adjust to. Peace was something that he just couldn't live in, no matter how hard he had fought to achieve it.

Hell the whole galaxy thought that after the war was over, Shepard would be the first person to want to simply settle down and enjoy the life he had fought for. Now it looks like he may be the last one to do just that. Despite the protests and hell, sometimes outright denial by both Hackett and the Council, Shepard still went out into the galaxy to perform his duties as a Specter and a Commander in the Alliance Navy.

Furthermore, Shepard was having the same problems that Tali was. He had no one to share this peace with. Oh yeah and he was also madly in love with Tali. Guess that is something worth mentioning.

Well I've set up the story enough and you're probably tired of listening to me. Or reading what I'm saying. Whatever. On with the show!

Tali'Zorah sighed softly as she gazed out onto the Rannoch landscape, unable to appreciate its beauty even as the sun was rising over it. She had everything she could have wanted as a Quarian. She had her homeworld back and she had a house on the homeworld. She looked up at the sky, wondering what her father would have made of all this. With a dismissive scoff, she knew exactly what he would think of all this.

Growling, she chased those thoughts out of her mind. He was dead, it was time for her to live. How she wanted to live though was proving very difficult. Sparing a glance behind her to see that no one was coming up the path to her far off house, she sat down on the ground took her mask off, putting it gently in her lap.

"All this, and I'm still not happy. My selfishness is getting worse by the day," she remarked dryly. Her mounting frustration at her lack of love life was, as you would expect, getting annoying. Who can blame her really? You ever been in love readers? It's a hell of a thing that's for damn sure.

At this point in her life, Tali had gotten understandably tired of dancing around the subject. She could freely admit to herself that she was in love with Shepard. Her thoughts were interrupted however as she heard footsteps coming up to her. Putting her mask back on, she stood up and spun around to face the intruder only for any anger she had at their presence dissipating upon seeing who it was.

"John…"

If there was one thing Shepard knew well, it was the value of R&R. Even he could use a break once in a while. With this thought in mind, he grabbed the first ship he could and flew to Rannoch to be with his Quarian.

Eyes widened at what he just thought of and he pushed that wonderful train of thought away. She wasn't his, she could never be his. He'd ruin their friendship and he didn't want to lose her.

So y'know, standard scenario for this sort of crap.

Anyway, he rushed off to Rannoch and upon docking, pretty much bolted out to Tali's house. Rather than take a freaking car. Love really does make you do crazy things. He slowed his pace down upon seeing her house in the distance and made his way up the path. Along the way however he noticed another Quarian nearby simply sitting on the ground. Being the paragon of humanity, he went over to them to help in any way he could.

Naturally he was rather surprised when said Quarian stood up and revealed herself to be Tali'Zorah. Of course the sun would at that exact moment bathe her in a heavenly glow and would make it very hard for Shepard not to comment on this.

"Tali…"

Tali only realized her slip-up of using his first time a moment after their greeting and, like she always did when she got nervous, rambled.

"I-I mean Shepard! Sorry I didn't mean to call you John I know it's personal and it was an accident and I wasn't thinking and-"

She was cut off with the sound of soft laughter. Her captain stepped closer and gave a hug in welcome. She immediately melted into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him, sighing happily.

"Still rambling huh Tali? Ah well. You're perfect even with it." Shepard grinned as he held Tali close, secretly relishing the contact. The grin dropped quickly though as he realized what he had just said and he turned silent as his thoughts berated him.

Naturally he did not notice the technical prodigy stiffen up and blush deeply at his sweet compliment.

_Perfect! He thinks I'm perfect! He's still better than me but he thinks I'm perfect! Or…did he not mean that the way I thought?_

Seeking to find out, she craned her head up to look at him and for a moment, lost herself in his captivating features. The scars those Cerberus implants had given him had faded completely, leaving his handsome visage unblemished. Shaking such descriptions away, unaware that this caused her to nuzzle Shepard's chest, she spoke to him in a light, playful tone.

"Perfect Shepard? How kind of you. Does that make me better than you?" She giggled at his expression and reluctantly pulled out of his embrace to get a better look at him. Upon doing so, she gasped and got close to him again.

"Shepard you're hurt! What happened to you?! Come on I can take care of you inside." Any protests he may have had were ignored as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside her home, taking him to a couch and pushing him onto it.

Rather than protest further, Shepard simply smirked and looked up at her as she tangled her fingers together.

"Tali it's nothing major. I survived Harbinger's attack and the Citadel blowing up on me. I can handle a few extra scratches." Internally however, he thought about how he wouldn't mind having her take care of him.

Tali, however, wasn't paying much attention. Seeing the object of her affections injured brought bad memories back. That, and the growing realization that even for all he has done, Shepard is still mortal. A sad truth that caused her no end of misery. Still, she could at least help him live longer now.

"I don't care Shepard. You're my friend and it never got any easier seeing you get hurt. So, to quote Jack, sit your ass down!" She hadn't intended for it to come out quite that way but at least it worked. Shepard smiled that damnably charming smile of his and leaned back into the couch.

"You're the boss…Miss vas Normandy."

Tali shuddered at the pronunciation of her ship name but quickly regained her cool.

"Right. I'm the boss. And as the boss I order you to lay down and let me patch you up…or I'll sick Chatika on you! You know I will!" Her bold statement earned a hard laugh out of Shepard, though he still complied, replying in a dramatic tone.

"Oh no! Not Chatika! The drone that sent Reapers running! I'll never survive against such power!" He playfully fell back against the couch in a faint, grinning all the while. To which Tali slapped his arm lightly and grinned back at him, a gesture made moot by her mask but hey it's something.

"Yeah you better cower! Chatika takes no prisoners!" She laughed at the absurdity of the situation and Shepard quickly joined her, the two friends enjoying the chance to be themselves around each other. Dropping into a content silence, Shepard looked at Tali and gave her another charming smile that made her knees wobble ever so slightly.

"Alright Tali, I'll submit. Just don't try to put me in a full body cast. My shore leave isn't permanent."

That last bit caught her attention. Shore leave? That meant he was still fighting. The galaxy still needed him to fight its battles? The thought filled her with anger, which she voiced without thinking.

"They're still using you?! Those idiots can't manage a damn thing without you! Now they won't even let you enjoy the peace you fought for?! Oh I am going to destroy those bosh'tets! Every last one of them! I'll even make Jack surprised when I-"

"TALI!"

She stopped mid-rant as she realized Shepard had spoken over her…and been trying to speak beforehand.

_Oh Keelah…now I'm not even letting him speak…some friend you are Tali…_

"Tali I'm the one who went to them looking for work. For once, it's my choice and not theirs." He hoped his calming tone would get the point across, though how angry she had become had given him pause. Could this really have upset her so deeply?

She took in his words and mulled them over. Okay, so he's working for them of his own free will. It's not a matter of duty…why doesn't that make her feel any better?

"But…why would you ask them for more work? Shepard you've killed the Reapers. You united an entire galaxy. You brought everyone peace!" Her voice took on a sad note as she hesitantly asked her next question.

"Why are you still fighting?"

A grim expression crossed Shepard's face. Were this anyone else, he'd have simply given them a token response and left. But this was Tali, dear, sweet, wonderful Tali. She deserved the truth. With a heavy sigh, he placed an arm over his eyes in the hopes of avoiding Tali's reaction.

"I can't handle the peace Tali. I've tried. I've tried so many times but I just can't adjust to it. I close my eyes but I never sleep fully. I keep bolting upright at the slightest noise, always reaching for a pistol." Removing his arm, he turned to look at her, his dilemma clearly visible in his expression.

"I don't think I can live in this peace Tali."

A simple sentence. That was all it took for Tali to feel her heart bleed for her friend. With composure thrown out the window, she threw herself onto him and hugged him tightly, hoping that it would drive his fears away. As she felt Shepard's arms wrap around her, she tried to relax into his embrace but it found exceedingly challenging.

How could this man, this kind, caring, considerate man be the one person who couldn't handle peace. Thinking about though, she realized she couldn't handle the peace either. She was alone in it…

"Shepard…why can't you handle the peace?" She looked up at him again, watching for any kind of gateway into his thoughts.

He took his time responding. To be fair, it wasn't an easy question to answer. Even after all the time that has passed, he still doesn't have an answer as to why he keeps fighting. Steeling himself for the barrage that he was sure Tali would give when he told her his answer, he looked right into her eyes and spoke softly.

"I don't know Tali. I really don't know. I wish I had a better answer but I just don't know. I'm sorry Tali." Finding his confidence suddenly lacking, he looked away from her and hoped she would leave it be. Obviously, he should have known better.

She looked at him for a while, trying to wrap her head around the situation…trying desperately to find some logic in it. Instead, all she could see was a very hurt man who needed help and by the Ancestors if she wasn't going to give it to him. She rested her head back against his chest and continued to hold him, breaking the silence with one word.

"Okay."

They simply held each other in a tense silence before sleep would eventually claim them both.

Rannoch did not have Earth's 24 hour day cycle so when Tali woke up some hours later, the sun was just beginning to set. She made to take off her mask to rub the sleep out of her eyes only to remember what had happened before she fell asleep. Looking down at her friend, she saw that he was still serving as her pillow and mattress. Blushing furiously, Tali tried to squirm out of his grip only to be pulled in closer and held tighter. Which did not help her blush at all damn you Shepard. Still, making the best of the situation, she snuggled in closer, happy to spend more time with her unaware beloved. As she enjoyed the moment, she had a distant realization.

That was the best sleep she had ever gotten.

Shepard on the other hand was still sound asleep. For the first time since he joined the Alliance, he had a good night's sleep. His dreams were full of pleasant memories and happy futures. He recalled his time spent with Tali and all their chats. From talking about Quarian history and the war with the Geth on the SR1 to their drive core chats on the, at the time, Cerberus run SR2.

The moment he remembers most was their talk in his cabin during the Reaper War. Their talk lasted for hours, earning them both a nap on his bed. He was never as happy as he was when he spooned her close in their slumber. Funny…it almost feels like he's doing that again. The pressure is right and everything…come to think of it, it feels very real.

The spell of sleep suddenly faded as he woke up abruptly. Rubbing his eyes open, he made to sit up only to find there was a weight keeping him down. Assuming the worst, he cautiously opened his eyes and peered at who had been using him as a pillow…only to grin wide at seeing his sweet engineer snuggled ever so tenderly into him.

_Screw it. I'm on shore leave. Might as well enjoy it with her._

Assuming she was still asleep, he wrapped his arms around her again ever so gently and simply enjoyed the moment. Of course, had he been paying closer attention, he'd have heard the soft whimper Tali made when his arms left her and the gentle purr she made when they wrapped around her again.

Even with Shepard awake now, Tali was too content to enjoy the moment. She was reminded of her selfish quality again but quickly dismissed it. She wasn't going to let her insecurities ruin a moment as wonderful as this. She was at peace and nothing could take that away from her.

So let's let them have their tender moment shall we? No interruptions, no…other shit that interrupts their moment. So there.

Truth be told they spent the whole day in each other's arms. Literally the whole day. Good on them. But we can't base a story solely on cuddling. Well at least I can't. So on with the show.

Eventually the sun would rise on Shepard's second day of shore leave. Spending the first day with Tali in his arms would be pretty damn hard to top. Still, even he couldn't keep still forever and with great reluctance, he woke Tali up gently.

"Taaaaaali…wake up sunshine" His smooth voice went all through her body and she debated pretending to be asleep just so that he would talk to her again. She was rewarded as he spoke to her again, running his hand along her back soothingly. Unfortunately, she broke the illusion by arching her back into his hand, eager to feel more of his touch. Nerve-stimulators had nothing on Shepard's fingers. She could feel the vibrations in his chest as he chuckled.

"Oh so you're kitty now huh Tali? Well then I'll just have to spend another day petting you then."

Tali smiled at the thought of another day like the last one, but this was Shepard's off time. He shouldn't have to spend it holding her…wait…

"I don't know what a kitty is but I'm assuming you're insulting me." With a smirk, she activated her Omni-tool and summoned Chatika right in front of Shepard. The audible gulp made her giggle.

"No no no not insulting you a kitty is a type of Earth animal. It's supposed to be-"

Tali cut him off by sitting up and playfully glaring at him.

"Oh so I'm an animal now huh? Well then Chatika says RAWR!"

And so the first two hours of their second day were spent with the great Commander John Shepard running around Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya's house while Chatika vas Paus chased him and zapped him. Tali had never laughed so hard in her life.

She eventually let him go with the order that he never call her a kitty again lest he face the all-powerful Chatika. Seeing him humbly swear it brought back memories of their meeting Samara back on Illium. Still, they spent their day together and having as much fun as they could. She finally got around to cleaning what injuries he had received before he came to her, grumbling as he was right when they were minor ones.

It's not like she secretly hoped he would have to remove his clothes so she could get a better look or anything.

That would be crazy how dare you assume that of her.

Still, she patched him up and he gave her another tender hug as thanks…that she naturally tried to remain longer in. Come to think of it, seemed like he tried to do the same…no that's just her mind playing tricks on her.

_Shepard doesn't love me. He can't. He just…can't…_

Still never got any easier to say that to herself.

But that somber note passed by quickly as the day went on. The played chess, talked about their adventures, impersonated their friends. Let it never be said that Shepard can't pull off a pretty accurate Garrus. Even his voice was along the right lines. Before they knew it the sun had long set and it was dark over Rannoch. Content to take the couch again, Shepard was soundly ordered into the guest room by Tali. Being the boss had its perks. So with a goodnight hug, Shepard headed off to the guest room for the evening.

Tali on the other hand, after watching him go and trying really damn hard not to ogle him, went back into her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed. Even with Shepard just down the hall, her room had never felt so cold and empty before. She debated running off to the guest room under the guise of nightmares but stopped herself. It's his time off she reminded herself and she bitterly resigned herself to another lonely night in her bed, dreading to wake up alone if she slept at all.

Imagine her surprise when she woke up in the morning to an up close and personal view of Shepard's wonderfully sculpted chest. Blushing madly and berating herself for sneaking into the guest room after all, she made to leave only to find herself still in her room. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

_Shepard…came to me. Could he not sleep? Could he tell I couldn't? Or…did he really come here for me?_

That train of thought was too wonderful to derail and looking up at him, she saw he was still sound asleep. As Ashley once told her, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Carefully and quietly removing her mask, she leaned up and placed a soft kiss on Shepard's sleeping lips.

"Thank you Shepard. Thank you for everything." Double checking to make sure he was still asleep, she leaned in close and rested her forehead against his and spoke the words she had been dying to say for eight years now.

"I love you John'Shepard."

Her mask clicked back into place and she resumed snuggling into him, closing her eyes in bliss and wrapping her arms around him gently. Thus she did not see the smile spread across Shepard's face after she confessed to him. He held her just a little closer and Tali smiled wide at this.

To Shepard, those 4 words were what he always wanted to hear. Well that and the Council admitting they were idiots for doubting him but who among us wouldn't like that. Still, even to hear it only from his dream version of Tali was wonderful enough. It was rather odd when that kiss on his lips felt so real and the feeling of her forehead resting against his also felt real. Come to think of it, even the confession sounded real. With this in mind, Shepard woke up.

Repeating the same process as yesterday, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and-wait what was that sound? He looked around quickly and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging, he made to get up when that familiar weight was holding him down again. So once again he looked down and turned as red as Wrex's armour when he saw the love of his life curled against him again. Upon closer inspection, he also realized he was not in the guest room anymore.

_Well, this can't be good. Did I really go to Tali's room just to hold her? She is holding me as well though so maybe there's a less…troubling explanation for all this…_

Looking down at what he assumed was Tali's sleeping form, he nudged her gently to wake her up and get this sorted before he ruined their friendship forever. When she didn't respond, he did something stupid and crazy and very much unlike Commander Shepard.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her helmet and whispered those words that had been begging to be spoken for eight years now.

"I love you Tali'Zorah."

There. He had done it. She couldn't hear him say it but he had done it. So when he made to remove himself from her grip, he found it suddenly tightened by a stiff, wide-eyed Quarian. Mistaking it for an involuntary movement in her slumber, he tried again only for Tali to slowly tilt her head up to look him straight in the eyes, stopping his movements completely.

Shepard simply lay there, stone stiff as Tali stared at him unblinking. He couldn't tell what was going through her mind, but he assumed the worst. She had heard him, she was going to reject him. He was going to lose his best friend because he was a goddamn idiot and-

"You…you love me? You love me John?"

Her soft voice brought him out of his self-berating and he nodded once in reply, then chastised himself for being stupid yet again.

But to Tali, it was what she had always wanted to hear ever since first meeting him on the Citadel all those years ago.

_He loves me…he loves me…HE LOVES ME!_

Throwing caution out the window, she ripped her damned mask off and promptly gave her love the most passionate kiss she could muster. She was too happy to care about the risk of sickness, she was kissing him! He loved her and she loved him. Nothing else mattered. Her initiative was rewarded when he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with all the passion he had behind it.

To Tali, she finally felt whole as she kissed the love of her life.

To Shepard, peace didn't seem so bad now. Maybe he'd have to retire sooner than he thought. Much sooner.

Finally, after much too short a time to both of them, they pulled away and looked into each other's eyes. Shepard only now realized he was looking into Tali's unmasked eyes. No amount of mental imaginings could have prepared him for the incredible beauty he saw that was Tali'Zorah's face. Words could not even come remotely close to describing her beauty.

For Tali, she too realized that Shepard had now become the first person to see her unmasked face. She blushed at first and worried what he would think…until the slack-jawed expression crossed his face anyway. She had seen these on humans before, it meant surprise and shock…oh no was she ugly to him? Was that what he was shocked about? Terrified, she tried to put her mask back on in a hurry, startling Shepard out of his silent revere.

He stopped her all at once by putting a calloused hand on her smooth cheek, feeling the wonderfully soft skin beneath his hand with a wide smile.

"You're beautiful Tali. You're the most beautiful person in the entire universe."

It was like he could read her thoughts. Her fears were instantly put to rest as she flushed at the compliment. Shepard leaned in and kissed both burning cheek tenderly, making them only even redder of course. He pulled back and gave her a smile full of love, one she eagerly returned. They spent a while longer in bed, just enjoying the new peace they had achieved.

They would get up eventually. Tali sterilized the entire house so she could be without her mask for the whole day. Just so Shepard could enjoy her beautiful face all day.

Of course, the various and sudden make outs on several areas of the house were a nice added bonus. Each one left them more breathless and happy than the previous ones.

Sadly night would eventually come and with it, the end of Shepard's shore leave. He would have to go in the morning and now that she had him, she wouldn't let him go. But she didn't want to stand in the way of his happiness either. In the end, the selfless part of her personality won out, but not before the selfish part made one last suggestion.

_Be with him tonight. Become his and make him yours._

So it was with more confidence than she ever had before that Tali'Zorah boosted her immune system for several hours, sterilized the entire home again (especially the bedroom) and invited Shepard up to bed. When he got there and sat down on her bed, Tali suddenly locked the door to her room tight. Turning to see Shepard's confused expression, she made it rather clear what she was doing when she pounced on him and probably made Jack very proud with what it led to.

Tali did not expect either of them to go at it so long. She guessed eight years of pent up lust being expressed in one night could do crazy things to a person. She stopped wondering when Shepard kissed her sensitive neck a few times and asked if she was ready for round…what was it now…30?

When the sun rose in the morning, Tali thought she would never be so angry at the accursed ball of light. It meant the worst news to her. Shepard would have to leave. He'd have to go back to being a soldier and she might never see him again. The idea brought tears to her eyes and she tried to blink them away only for a pair of thumbs that were not her own gently brush the tears away.

Shepard leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, holding her close and tilting her chin up to look him in the eyes.

"Tali…"

She shook her head vehemently. She didn't want to hear him say goodbye. She couldn't stomach that. She shut her eyes tight and tried to will his departure away. Turns out, she didn't need to.

"Tali, ask me to stay and I will. I want nothing more than to be with you."

The tears abruptly stopped and she looked up at her lover with wide eyes, taking in what he just said. She was quiet for a while before smirking and moving up to face him.

"I'm the boss remember? I don't ask, I order. And I order you to stay with me forever."

Shepard smirked back and kissed her deeply.

"Yes ma'am."

Now what story is complete without a charming epilogue? Well I can't pull off charming even at gunpoint so you'll have to slog through what I made.

So let's move forward a couple years shall we?

Tali awoke the Rannoch sun with a smile, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she did so, a trait she had picked up from her husband and bondmate. Purring at the wonderful titles she alone could give to John, she turned around in his embrace and gave him a wake-up kiss.

When they finally finished getting out of bed, Tali had the thought that maybe, just maybe, she shouldn't put so much passion into a wake-up kiss. When her selfish side called her attention though, she remembered that it was totally worth it.

Every day was now a blissful paradise for the happy couple. They spent almost all their time in each others loving embrace. As Tali sat in her husband's lap, snuggled up to him as they watched a movie, she knew she couldn't be happier.

Then her Omni-tool dinged with an alert she had programmed into it. It had officially become 10 years since they first met. With a lustful smirk, she looked up at Shepard and gave him another loaded wake-up kiss, knowing full well what they would be doing to celebrate such a momentous occasion.

Well dear readers, that is the story of A New Life. I had planned on making it longer but ideas were scrapped and changed and all that crap. Still, I like the finished product and I hope you have as well.

Now kindly shove off and let the happy couple continue their sure to be endless copulation.

Ciao!


End file.
